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Kanye West in Los Angeles on February 2. (Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images via CNN Newsource)
By Lisa Respers France, CNN
(CNN) — Kanye West is sharing some news about his health.
In a conversation on “The Download” podcast with Justin Laboy, West, who changed his name to Ye, said he was previously misdiagnosed with bipolar disorder.
“I went to this doctor … My wife took me to do that because she said, ‘Something about your personality doesn’t feel like it’s bipolar, I’ve seen bipolar before.’ And I’ve come to find that it’s really a case of autism that I have,” West said.
West said the diagnosis has helped him better understand himself.
“Autism takes you to a ‘Rain Man’ thing,” West said. “‘When people tell you to not do it, you just get on that one point. And that’s my problem.”
“When fans tell me to do my album a certain way, I’ll do it the opposite way,” he added.
West referenced his song “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” and people close to him.
“It’s so difficult for them, because this is like a grown man – you can’t take control of his bank account, you can’t control what I’m saying on Twitter,” West said.
West had previously recounted being diagnosed with bipolar disorder and described his experience with an involuntary psychiatric hold. In a 2019 conversation with David Letterman, he said he was choosing to speak about his diagnosis and how he managed it to end the “strong stigma” around mental health.
“People are allowed to say anything about it and discriminate in any way,” West said at the time.
“Autism spectrum disorder is a neurological and developmental disorder that affects how people interact with others, communicate, learn, and behave,” according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Autism is not considered a mental health disorder and can be diagnosed at any age.
“I haven’t taken the medication since I found out that bipolar wasn’t the right diagnosis,” West said on “The Download” podcast this week. “It’s finding stuff that doesn’t block the creativity, obviously that’s what I bring to the world. It’s worth the ramp-up, as long as y’all get the creativity.”
The-CNN-Wire
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